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Brian Contreras Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES — On Wednesday, Spotify announced a series of new podcasts, partnerships and features as part of its efforts to dominate all audio despite recent challenges and controversies in the space.
At an event near its offices in Los Angeles’ Arts District, the Swedish music streaming giant announced a partnership with popular online content creator Markiplier. Markiplier’s shows “Distractible” and “Go! My Favorite Sports Team” launch exclusive video episodes on Spotify.
The company also announced a scripted Batman spin-off series called “The Riddler: Secrets in the Dark,” starring Hasan Minhaj, who played the villain in last year’s scripted project, “Batman Unbured.”
Podcasts have traditionally been an audio-centric format, but Spotify wants shows like Markiplier that incorporate video to be a big part of the future.
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The company reported that it now has 70,000 video creators on the platform. Spotify said, and TikToker Drew Ahuaro’s podcast “Comments Section” will be exclusive to Spotify in April.
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek has boasted about the rapid growth of Spotify’s podcasting, saying it has grown from nearly 10 million podcast listeners in 2018 to over 100 million today. rice field.
According to Ek, the company is building “the best homes for creators where they can build a career and inspire the world with their creativity.”
But these announcements follow upheaval in Spotify’s podcasting business. Spotify’s ongoing podcast strategy comes at a stressful time for both the company and the broader markets in which it operates.
Last fall, Spotify delisted 11 podcasts and laid off employees from some podcast brands as the recession continued across the tech and entertainment sectors. In January, the company announced that Chief Content Officer Dawn Ostroff (one of the key players in Spotify’s shift to podcasting) had retired, cutting 6% of its staff.
In May, the company appointed Julie McNamara, who was overseeing American studios and video at the time, to head the acquired podcast networks Ringer, Gimlet Media, and Parcast. Appointed Simmons as the new Global Head of Sports Content and Managing Director of Ringer.
Spotify is trying to establish itself as a leader in the podcast industry, attracting new subscribers and diversifying its services beyond music. With Apple and YouTube serving as the leading platforms for podcasts, and TikTok and Twitch attracting legions of young, digitally savvy viewers, the competition is fierce.
The company has acquired several podcast networks, including popular sports and culture brands Ringer, Gimlet Media, Parcast and podcast distribution platform Anchor FM. In 2020, Spotify became the exclusive home of the influential “The Joe Rogan Experience” in a deal said to be worth around $100 million.
Partnerships with celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Meghan Markle, and Jordan Peele have allowed Spotify to enter the dense podcasting space.
But these high-profile projects were also marred by controversy. Markle’s podcast took a long time to come to fruition, with Spotify’s exclusive deal in 2019 with Higher Ground, the production company run by former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. It was ultimately not renewed after the Obamas asked for non-exclusive distribution. plan.
Higher Ground produced “The Michelle Obama Podcast” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Renegades: Born in the USA” for Spotify.
More than two years ago at the 2021 ‘Stream On’ event, the company announced a partnership with Anthony and Joe Russo, directors of Marvel blockbusters ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ and ‘Avengers: Endgame’. . The partnership does not appear to have spawned a podcast yet.
The company’s partnership with Rogan (known for allowing guests to talk freely about controversial topics for hours) has thrown Spotify in hot water many times. Last year, criticism that Logan was spreading misinformation about his COVID on his show led some artists, including Neil His Young, to remove their music from their platforms.
Oscar-nominated director Ava DuVernay also cut ties with Spotify before her art collective Alley released the project. Joni Mitchell, Graham Nash, Roxanne Gay, David Crosby and Stephen Stills have announced their departure.
Spotify on Wednesday also announced several new tools to make the platform more accessible to podcasters. The “reimagined” Spotify for Podcasters hub will bring together the company’s podcasting tools — including monetization technology, video podcasting and interactive episode features — in one place, the company says. His new partnership with digital subscription platform Patreon aims to make it easier for podcasters to convert listeners into paying customers.
Netflix has signed a deal to use Spotify’s podcast platform for businesses, Spotify announced, and NPR will begin publishing through its app.
The company isn’t just thinking about podcasts.
Last year, the company began selling audiobooks on its US app and also acquired Heardle, a music-guessing game. In 2021, we acquired Locker Room, a live voice conversation app similar to Clubhouse.
Gustav Söderström, co-president, chief product officer and chief technology officer at Spotify, announced the app’s new home feed. Reminiscent of TikTok’s vertical video scrolling, the feed mixes everything from audio books to music videos, with a focus on content discovery and recommendations, Söderström said.
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